Man leads Manitowoc police on a wild foot chase

MANITOWOC - Police arrested a 22-year-old Manitowoc man for drug possession after an officer chased him down the street, pulled off his shirt, and saw him jump out of a second-story window.

Police were patrolling the area of the 700 block of Franklin Street at about 5 p.m. Friday, near a suspected drug home.

According to the police report, an officer saw a green Toyota Prius pass by his squad car, did a registration check and noticed the registration was expired. He saw the car pull close to another vehicle in a nearby parking lot. The cars were too close together for the officer to approach the driver’s side of the car, so he went to the passenger-side window.

The driver, Peter Normal Jones Jr., opened the window, and the officer noticed a strong smell of raw marijuana. The officer called for backup. He said he saw Jones drop his left hand out of sight and reach into his pocket. The officer asked Jones to remove his hand from his pocket, and when Jones did, something dropped out.

The officer asked Jones to crawl through the passenger side of the vehicle and out. Instead, Jones crawled through the driver’s side window and began running south toward the Capitol Civic Centre.

Jones ran until he came to a tall fence he couldn’t get over.

The officer attempted to use an electrical weapon, or Taser, on Jones. Tasing had little effect, as Jones continued to fight with the officer. Police ripped Jones’ shirt off his body, and he ran into a yard in the 700 block of Franklin Street.

Police saw the Prius was now locked up and windows closed. The owner of the vehicle said he loaned the vehicle to Jones, but barely knew him. Inside the car, an officer found large bags of clothing and paperwork belonging to Jones. He also found several packs of rolling papers, a cell phone, and a small baggie containing a green, leafy substance he suspected was marijuana.

Police received a call at 7 p.m. that Jones was hiding under a deck at a home in the 700 block of Franklin Street. By the time officers arrived, Jones was in an upstairs bedroom. Officers saw him eventually jump out of a second-story window onto the deck. Police cornered him under the deck until a K-9 officer arrived.

Jones was arrested and taken to the Manitowoc County Jail. Police are recommending charges of possession of marijuana, obstructing an officer and bail jumping.